Rizer’s Pork & Produce

Rizer’s bills its food as “country comfort.” That’s no lie. First, it really is in the country, deep in Colleton County in a 50-household, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Lowcountry town, far from everywhere. As for comfort, that is found on a buffet of handsome Dixie fare.

Pork is the featured attraction in the form of ribs, BBQ, sausage, chops, and fried fatback, each a paradigm. The sausage, made every Monday from Rizer hogs, is especially wonderful: more chewy than juicy, shot through with spice. Succulent BBQ is sopped with faintly vinegary sauce. Ribs are dry-rubbed, not ooey-gooey.

Pork frowners will be very happy with Rizer’s fried chicken, which is crusted with an oh-so-savory golden coat and is brilliantly accompanied by herbed cheddar biscuits.

Vegetable options include collard greens that come as big, fork-tender leaves with a faint peppery aura; all sorts of peas and beans (grown here); buttery mac & cheese; corn on the cob; etc, etc.

There’s banana pudding for dessert, but the must-eat is pound cake, which customers are invited to slice for themselves … as generously as hunger demands. It is a creamy, uncomplicated masterpiece made by proprietor Philip Rizer’s 90-year-old mom: unimprovable. But there is an ice cream cooler should you like it a la mode.

Pay one price and keep coming back until you’ve had enough. No matter how healthy one’s appetite, eating some of everything is a challenge. It’s all so good.

Note: Rizer’s is a Wednesday to Saturday lunchtime buffet. But January to August every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month, it is open for steak-night dinner. Customers order off a full menu, from blooming onions to fried shrimp or T-bones with gigantic baked potatoes.